My World’s Worst Blogger Award is prominently displayed on the mantel and I’m wearing the cone of shame.

But I’ve been up to my ears in all sorts of things and decided blogging had to go on the back burner so I could be extra present in my Real Life until I could get my head above water.

Since we last chatted The Cuties finished off the school year. It was the usual frenzy of unit tests, final projects, parties, and requests for unending baked goods {an extra challenge when you know you are leaving the country for two and a half months and trying to simultaneously empty your pantry, refrigerator and freezer and presenting weird dinners of couscous, defrosted rolls and three kinds of beef; not pretty, I know}.

I procrastinated packing us for summer more than I have for any other trip. To the point Little Cutie first told me it concerned her, and then told me it was really stressing her out, and I finally got off my tush and took action. I’m pleased to report I did manage to pack one fewer suitcase than last year!

In the middle of all of this, I have been knee-deep in all sorts of projects and plans for Big Cutie’s Bat Mitzvah this October. They will all be revealed after the big day, but I wanted to finish as much as possible since the event is a mere 8 weeks after our return to Japan from the summer holidays. I *think* I have things semi under control, but the day before I left Tokyo our party coordinator called to tell me she was leaving the country until two weeks before our event. Seriously. I am pleased to report I did not suffer a heart attack, and of course there is an interim person acting as our liaison, but well, it’s hard enough planning an event almost no one knows what it is in a country where I don’t speak the language without involving another person at the last minute! And I’m pretty sure we are setting a new record at our synagogue with the amazing news that we will have more than forty guests coming from America. How blessed are we?!

And what was really the elephant in the room in our lives was the news that we will be packing up and moving back to America some time later this fall after the Bat Mitzvah. There’s a lot of limbo to this news such as where we’ll live, where The Cuties will go to school, cars to buy, air and sea shipments to schedule with packers, and so much more. The Cuties have taken the news with more grace and positivity than we could possibly have hoped for, and I am so proud of them. Thankfully, we have watched as many of our friends have experienced the unpredictability of Expat life and so we know it happens and we, too, will be just fine.

There is much to look forward to about returning to America, most especially the proximity to our family and friends. But it will be very hard to say goodbye to our Expat experience. It has changed us in many ways and has truly been something I’m thrilled to have taken the risk to have done.

I recently came across this quotation which perfectly sums up how I feel about our experiences and time in Tokyo ~

I never asked for it to end, but then again, I never asked for it to begin. For that is the way it is with life, as some of the most beautiful days come completely by chance. But even the most beautiful days eventually have their sunsets. ~Richard Chernov

We are now here at the beloved Happy Place, Kiawah Island, South Carolina. We’ve just spent a lovely week with the husband and the Cute Grandparents. We’ve eaten Low Country food to our hearts’ content, swam until we’re pruned, played family golf and ridden our bicycles to breakfast almost every single morning. And of course, we’ve had gator sightings and worn our Lilly Pulitzer!

The Cuties and I will continue to play here for a few more weeks and then they will head to the North Woods to summer camp where they will be silly, get filthy, water ski, eat s’mores and scream their lungs out at color war. And I will be happy for them.

So that’s the last month for The Felt So Cutes.

It’ll all work itself out and I’m working hard at not being too Type-A about it all.

Hi, Ali… It does sound like all is working out well! This is my first time reading your blog and it’s great! I share with you the award for worst blogger! I have so much to say and never get to it. These days all I can do is instagram my work and the fun we get to have with the girls and our spoiled dog. I would really love to re-invent my blog and stick to it. Perhaps when I go back to reality in suburbia and the girls are back in school… Enjoy that Arlnod Palmer at the pool!

Middle of the day? Arnold Palmer. At Dinner? There have definitely been some John Dalys consumed. ;-)
Also have to be careful as The Cuties tend to pick up my tumbler poolside and help themselves since they like Arnolds, too!